Newcastle Herald letters to the editor: Monday, February 7, 2022

These short and long term car parks currently provide off-street parking for visitors to the gallery, Darby Street and the nearby Civic area as well as all day parking for commuting workers.

The loss of these spaces will further impact the inner city's parking availability which has also seen a recent reduction of 478 off-street spaces with council's closure of its mall parking station in King Street.

Can council please advise of their plans to replace the off-street parking amenity in the Darby Street/Civic precinct that will be lost to the Newcastle Art Gallery expansion?

AT the close of the winter months in the 1970s and early 1980s, the 'A' station of Wangi Power Station was normally shut down and placed on standby to cover outages of generating plant at other stations and the loss of supply from the Snowy hydro-electric power stations due to drought conditions.

Normally, snow melt in spring allowed increased generation from the Snowy stations and the ECNSW preferred to use the lower generation costs of the Snowy stations over the labour intensive 'A' station at Wangi.

'A' station was the original 1930s design of Wangi Power Station and the design incorporated considerable redundancy in the boiler plant to allow for a high level of reliability as a railway traction power station.

Many times this reliability enabled Wangi Power Station to help an embattled power supply system through major plant breakdowns and drought conditions affecting the hydro power stations.

A future power system will require several power stations that are independent of wind and rain. While a power system totally reliant on battery storage will be required to supply an output of at least 5000 megawatts every hour until sunrise and then recharge the batteries and supply power system demands at the same time if there is a loss of wind and hydro power.

BILL Slicer (Short Takes, 29/1), you're certainly not alone. It irks me too that people walk into stores without checking in, despite it being mandatory. What irks me even more is that pubs and clubs, where one is denied entry for not checking in, have still become a scapegoat during this pandemic. Especially in Newcastle, as if the mere existence of licensed premises is proof positive that the omicron variant started in Newcastle. The so-called "super-spreader event" at The Argyle House nightclub occurred after two COVID positive Sydneysiders ignored the instructions they were given to isolate. Instead, they went nightclubbing in Newcastle, infected others, and then the airborne spread inexplicably became blamed on alcohol consumption. At least the 200-odd people who entered The Argyle had to check in, and therefore would've been notified that they were present at the same time as someone COVID positive. But had they been in a shopping centre (in which thousands of people can enter each day), I don't believe for one moment that the two young men, who were so selfish and careless to defy isolation orders, would have checked in just because it's the right thing to do.

PETER C Jones' letter ('Macquarie's namesake is fitting', Letters, 21/1) and Short Take (28/1) are an insult to fair-minded Australians, particularly the Indigenous community. I suggest he reads the historical description of his hero Lachlan Macquarie entitled 'Secret Service, Governor Macquarie's Aboriginal War of 1816' by Michael K Organ of the University of Wollongong or the book 'Illawarra and South Coast Aborigines 1770 to 1850' which includes military campaigns ordered by Macquarie against Aboriginal people in 1816.

It depicts a man of callous brutality lacking insight into the understanding of Indigenous culture. The decapitated heads of slain Aboriginal people sent back to London as trophies by Macquarie, the disease, violence, massacres and dispossession of children and land is not a reason to celebrate. To have a statue of a murderer in Speers Point Park is offensive and inappropriate. If willing, the local Aboriginal community should consult with the council and have the lake renamed to Awaba, which is its original name.

Ironically the modern Liberal Party formerly called the Protectionist Party led by Edmund Barton introduced the White Australia Policy in 1901. The aim was to keep Australia white and British. Thankfully this draconian policy was abolished in 1973 by Australia's greatest prime minister Gough Whitlam, who embraced multiculturalism and acceptance of all races. The British didn't bring civilisation, they brought despair with murderous intent and genocide on a race of beauty, tolerance and culture. Accept the historical facts that a wrong was done and should not be celebrated. January 26 was and always will be invasion day.

WHO of us was able to stay awake to witness Rafael Nadal win the AO? I, for one, was not able to last five hours and 24 minutes. On the ABC's 'Offsiders' program, Kelli Underwood suggested that women's events should be extended from three sets to five, as is the case in men's tennis. I strongly disagree. We should be thinking about a turnabout and making all tennis just three sets. Other athletes, competing in football and similar strenuous activities, are not required to endure more than 100 minutes on-field, yet tennis players often spend in excess of 300 minutes, battling heat and humidity. Surely that cannot be good for their health. I believe that spectators would also appreciate a shorter format of the game. Food for thought?

DEPUTY lord mayor of Newcastle Cr Declan Clausen will address the Newcastle Business Club on February 8 describing what Newcastle council is "doing for business in our local areas, particularly in these difficult COVID times". I would like to ask the councilor to address the following questions at the meeting:

1. Why do Newcastle commercial properties pay double the land rates when compared to adjoining councils Lake Macquarie and Port Stephens? Could these charges affect the competitive position of Newcastle businesses compared to those in the other council areas? 2. Why does Newcastle council collect a special benefit rate from some commercial properties, but not all? For example, properties in Honeysuckle, The Junction and Westfield Kotara do not pay the levy, however benefit from those who do. Could these additional charges adversely affect the competitive position of some businesses in Newcastle?

SHORT TAKES

I FOUND it amusing that I have had a Christmas card returned to me from a friend who lives at Honeysuckle Drive. I posted the card December 3 and had it returned today, February 3. Is there an explanation for this, if so, I would like to know

IN the other paper, I read Andrew Bolt says the PM should be judged on how he does his job and not his personality. I think both are pretty poor.

GRAEME Tyschen, I've experienced all 200 nations. I lived in Auburn as a young bloke and am fluent in many languages after a bottle of gin. I do agree with you on the filthy pigs that litter our great nation; smoking on beaches, or in fact any public place, should be punishable by chopping off the hands of these dirty scum. You know, like they do in some of the nice places around the world.

STAN McCabe grew up in Newcastle. His cricketing career was cut short by sore feet.

HEY Tony Brown ('The data tells the story', Letters, 28/1), once again you choose to attack the Newcastle entertainment precinct over alcohol and violence that you associate with it. As usual, you present data and big words from online information, possibly like COVID information that is presented online which is taken with a grain of salt by most people. Free speech is available to everyone, even myself and Mr Carter. So why criticise us for having a different opinion to you? Why, even this paper gives half pages for you to use however you wish. So just give me and Adz a go mate. Look forward to your long-winded reply.

REGARDING Steve Barnett pushing for fast bowler Scott Boland for PM. There was a bloke by the same name swearing he would never watch another game of cricket over the sandpapergate scandal in 2018. I hope it's not the same bloke. I thought he would have been a man of his word.

I'M with Bruce Bone (Short Takes, 2/2) and Ken Stead (Short Takes, 3/2) in asking why freeloaders are allowed to make a picturesque spot of Newcastle putrid when they were banned and booted by council a few years ago. A new wave of filth is emerging.

I HAVE recently thought I'd have liked to have been a weatherman as no one seems to care when they get it wrong. Just lately though I think the Reserve Bank might be even a better option, they only meet 11 times a year and ...